American Genius - Bernstein at 100: A Celebration

Since the United States is such a young country in respect to European and Asian nations, we are often left behind when it comes to discussions on great classical composers. We don't have a Beethoven, Mozart or Vivaldi. Luckily though, we do have Leonard Bernstein. Next month would have been his 100th birthday and Wolf Trap played host to a wonderful display of his work to pay homage to the great composer. Born in Massachusetts, Bernstein studied music at Harvard and later at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In 1943, Bernstein conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time and would continue to lead the orchestra off an on for the rest of his life. He substituted as a conductor for various other orchestras and became known for his work with Young People's Concerts on CBS. This gave him national recognition as it introduced a new generation of people to classical music and was critically applauded. The 1950's also yielded perhaps his two most famous works, West Side Story and Candide. The musicals have remained incredibly popular but are but a small part of his vast compositions. He has been associated with may of the best orchestra in the world including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Orchestra, the London Symphony, and the Israel Symphony. He's also been credited with exposing Gustav Mahler to a larger audience as well as many American composers like George Gershwin, Charles Ives, and Aaron Copland. His repertoire is incredibly unique and he's often considered the most famous American composer of all time alongside Gershwin, John Philip Sousa and Brian Wilson.

I'd be remiss if I said I knew a lot about Leonard Bernstein before last night. As a musician, I've played selections from Candide and West Side Story but until writing this blog, I was unaware of his vast list of his work or his international reputation. This show did a lot to educate me and perfectly encapsulated the variety of styles that Bernstein employed. From the Doo Wop of West Side Story to the beautiful ballets, Bernstein did everything well and that showed in the performances. It helped that many iconic artists like George Takei and Misty Copeland were there to give their own interpretations of his work. But even they stepped aside and let the music control the evening. While this wasn't the best or most exciting show I've seen this summer, it was perhaps the most educational and I'm grateful that I was able to get such a great introduction to Bernstein's music. Under a full moon and a beautiful evening, I couldn't help but feel that this would've been one of his best birthdays yet.

My favorite part of the show was the clarinet solo! Bernstein composed Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for solo clarinet and I loved seeing my instrument gaining the spotlight!

Looking forward to more shows in the future!

DC

Leonard Bernstein